The Game of Five
by hColleen
Summary: A game is set for five players representing the five elements, earth, water, wind, fire, and void. (Okay, I'm bad at summaries, but check it out, okay :D ) Complete with Epilogue
1. The Game Begins

A/N: I had to write this down, it was disrupting me while trying to work on "Angel of Mercy." I admit to only reading 5 volumes of the manga and seeing two episodes of the anime, so if I get the characterization wrong, please be nice about correcting me, okay :D I don't know if I'll have to finish writing this, but if you think I should, feedback would be nice, otherwise, I may let it die...if my muse will allow it to...sigh The torment of being slave to an overactive imagination, especially when I should be studying for finals and all that at the end of this month. Anyway, enough of my babbling, on to the story. Enjoy :D

"You're being followed, y'know?"

He looked toward the voice that had suddenly sprung up from his right shoulder. Red hair and grey eyes greeted him. He was surprised for several reasons. Red heads, like him, were rare. He should have sensed her coming up behind him and she should have known he was being followed. He allowed his glance to continue and he could see two men that seemed out of place, but they didn't give off any aura. His gaze returned to the girl who was now urging him to continue walking. She didn't give off any aura, either.

"Keep moving, Red. It's going to be hard enough to loose them as it is."

"Who are you?" he asked as she continued to push him.

"Bekka, witch, at your service, Kurama."

"How..."

"Look, I'll explain later. Right now, we need to ditch those two. In there," she pushed him into a large department store. "Okay, this should work for a little while. As I said, my name is Bekka or Absinthe if you want to get knocked into next week." The girl glared at him fiercely. "I have the misfortune of being involved in some kind of game with some kind of idiot who thinks he's god. Unfortunately, he has the power to back up that claim, mostly. Those two," she glanced toward the door. "Damn it all to bloody hell and back again!" She pulled him into a rack of skirts and began muttering "you can't see me" while holding his hands. He could feel his aura dim. After a minute or two, he was feeling woozy and was going to ask her to stop when she let his hands go. "Sorry about that," she blushed.

"What were you going to say about those two? And what do you mean 'game'?" Kurama's head was spinning with the return of his aura. He touched his forehead, "How did you do that?"

"Like I said, I'm a witch." His expression clearly stated he didn't understand what she meant. "I can do magic. Real magic, not stage stuff like David Copperfield." His expression continued to be blank. Sighing in frustration, she tried again, "Look, you're a demon, you use aura or spirit. I'm a witch, I use elemental energy, or the earth itself. And don't look so surprised. I'm an empath, too. I can read you even if you can't read me. You can't see my aura because it's tied to the elementals. When I use magic, you'll be able to see my aura.

"As for those two and the game, that's a long complicated story. A while ago, I made a foolish wish, thinking it'd come to naught. But, it was answered. At first, I thought it was great. But then, the games began. The rules change with each round, as do my abilities. This round, those two were to follow and catch four people before I could get to them. You're the first. I have to ask that you come with me and find the other three."

"What then?" Kurama asked, not liking where this was going.

"Then the five of us find the lion's den and beard him." Kurama's face began to harden, but before he could speak, Bekka hurried on, "That's all I was told. I don't know much more, only if those two get one of the four before I do, then I'll have to rescue them as well. Who's Yusuke?"

Kurama was surprised by this non sequitur. "Why do you ask?"

"That's who they're going after now. They don't know where he is and if you do, then maybe we can get there first." She paused, eyes unfocused, "And they're looking for Kuwabara, too. Do you know where they are?"

"I have an idea where they should be."

"Then let's go." She led him out from the rack, almost running into an unsuspecting customer. Apologizing quickly, Bekka led Kurama out of the store. "Where now?"

"This way," Kurama took off toward the left.

Bekka kept close to him, almost walking on his heels. "Can't you go any faster? They're ahead of us."

Kurama glanced at her and could see the anxiety on her face. He did not answer, only picked up his pace to almost a run. He was surprised to see her keep up with him easily. He could see the two men she pointed out earlier ahead of them. She put her hand on his shoulder, "Keep going, they're on the roof." She again began repeating "you can't see me" and dimmed his aura. Even though he was woozy, he kept going, picking up on her urgency. He circled wide around the men and entered the school yard. They headed toward the fire escape and she let him go, again making him dizzy. Directly in front of the top of the fire escape, five boys sat.

"Good, you're here." Bekka said. She turned around and pulled a piece of chalk from one of her pockets and began writing on the ledge she and Kurama had just climbed over. As she wrote, she chanted, "Let light be dark and sight be naught/Cloud their minds and hide our thoughts."

Kurama watched as the two men who had been walking purposefully across the yard stopped and looked around confused. They looked at each other, shrugged and left the gate, going in opposite directions as they reached the road. He looked at Bekka and could see a flicker of aura over her. She was frowning and looked troubled. "Something's wrong. They're not going after the fourth person."  
  
A voice spoke behind them, "That's because I already have him."

Bekka whirled about to see the face of her nemesis. "Loki! How can you already have him?"

"Easily, Absinthe. I caught him before you started."

"You cheat! Who is it?" She could feel her temper starting to rise, trying to get the better of her. She could hear the boys asking questions and Kurama telling them to wait. She could feel his dread as if he already knew the answer.

"I set the game, Absinthe. I cannot cheat. I have the one called Hiei, your fire. I'm impressed that you managed to find the other three. You may be getting too strong. We'll have to do something about that, won't we?"

She felt the wave of shock and anger from the boys and could feel the undertone of pain from Kurama. It was almost overwhelming. She forced her mind to focus and growled, "What's the game?"

"You already know that, my dear. Beard the lion in his den." With that, Loki vanished.


	2. Time and Place

Bekka let out a strangled scream of rage and frustration, "Of all the gods, of all the wishes, or all the low down dirty rotten no good..."

"Hey, Absinthe..." one of the five boys ventured to interrupt.

"My name is Bekka! Next person to call me Absinthe gets decked!" She glared around indiscriminately.

"Okay, Bekka, mind explaining what's going on? Why are you and Kurama here? What's the deal with that Loki character saying he's got Hiei?"

"Loki is a god, to put it politely and succinctly. He also happens to be the god of mischief and games. I have to play. I have no choice in the matter. This game he calls the Game of the Five, referring to the five elements, earth, fire, water, wind and void or spirit. As he said, your friend, Hiei, is fire, which means Kurama is earth. Yusuke," she pointed to the boy who had asked her the questions and now looked surprised, "is wind and Kuwabara is water."

Recovering from his surprise, Yusuke asked, "How does that help us find Hiei, if he is missing?"

A blue haired girl walked up behind him, seemingly from nowhere, "How did you know Hiei was missing?"

Yusuke rounded on the girl, "Quit sneaking up on me, Botan! Some god named Loki claims to have him as a game he's playing with her." He pointed an accusing finger at Bekka.

Botan frowned at Bekka, "I haven't heard of Loki."

"He's Norse," Bekka shrugged.

"What did Yusuke mean by a game?"

"Oh, he doesn't know, he's just repeating what he heard. What he wants to know, as do you, is that this game is a challenge by Loki to me. He wants me to outsmart him or concede defeat. The first is next to impossible; the later could mean your friend's death."

"Some game!" Kuwabara inserted.

Bekka sighed, "Yeah, and just one in a series for me."

"Have you ever lost?" Kurama asked quietly.

Bekka closed her eyes, a pained expression crossing her face. Nodding, "Twice, both times cost me dear friends."

"How long have you been playing?" he asked. She didn't seem that much older than he was, physically, though she looked much older with the pain on her face.

"Almost two hundred years, across time and the planet." She opened her eyes and looked at him ruefully, "I wished to see the world. It was the last wish I ever made."

"All this yakking isn't going to find Hiei!" Yusuke broke in. "Botan, what do you have for us?"

"Only that he's missing and Koenma wants you to find him. He was supposed to see Koenma this morning and hasn't shown."

Bekka sighed, "I'll need a good map of the city. The four of us will have to go together to where ever he is."

Kuwabara spoke up, "There's a map at my place, but how's that gonna help locate him?"

Bekka pulled out a crystal on a chain. "I'll plumb for his location."

"Oh, you're a witch," Botan spoke up. Bekka nodded and Botan became excited. "A real live witch! I've always wanted to meet a witch!"

"What about Loki saying he was going to take care of you getting too strong?" Kurama asked.

Bekka covered her mouth and the others could hear what sounded like inarticulate curses. She pulled her mouth downwards and then smiled a smile that made everyone want to back away from her. "Even Loki must follow some rules. If he tampers with my power while in a game, Oberon, his father, will step in and end the game right there and then in my favor. He won't mess directly with me, or with you guys because void is made up of the other four elements. He has to come up with something else."

"What will he do?" Yusuke asked.

Bekka shrugged, "No idea, yet. Let's go, we're wasting time."

They clambered down the fire escape and out the yard. Kurama walked close to Bekka, wanting to ask her why she used a different technique to hide them on the roof when she spoke quietly, "Because I haven't figured out how to touch six people at once. The first relies on touch. The second relies on just staying in one place so I can hide more people that way."

"I'm going to have to remember you can read minds," he returned quietly, noting that their conversation was being ignored by the others. Only Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Botan were with them, the other three going to their own homes.

"Not all the time. Usually the thoughts have to be strong. What is your relationship to Hiei?"

He glanced at her, eyes dark with emotion. He stared ahead, not really seeing where they were going, "We've been friends for a long time," he answered at last.

"I see," she replied. "I'm going to need your help to plumb for him."

He kept his gaze forward, a slight frown passing over his features. "What do you need me to do?"

She glanced at him, sensing his reluctance. "Nothing terrible, I promise. I won't make you woozy or dizzy again. All I need you to do is thing about Hiei, to concentrate on who he is so that I can focus on that and find him. All you'll feel is me holding your hands and maybe what feels like a bit of tugging."

He nodded and she could feel his mind turning to his friend. She caught shifting images and impressions of a short black-haired demon with a third eye and a deep reluctance to get close to anyone. His impressions were strong and colored by respect and love. She was so focused on his thoughts that she would have missed the building to turn into had he not bumped into her while making the turn automatically.

"Hey," Botan's voice broke through her stupor. "What are you two so deep in conversation about? It's not nice to whisper!"

Bekka smiled, "He asked about the different cloaking spells I used."

Botan bounced up to her, eagerness radiating from her, "Can you show me?"

Bekka smiled at her and winked at Kurama, her eyes glinting. "Sure, Botan. Hold my hand, please." Holding the other girl's hand, she turned to Kurama, "Now pay attention to how it looks from out there." She began muttering "you can't see me" and Kurama watched as the two girls faded from sight. The two girls reappeared, Bekka laughing and Botan looking very unsteady on her feet. "Rather effective, don't you think?"

Botan shot her a dirty look. With an abrupt shift in mood, she urged them on, "Let's hurry and get up to Kuwabara's"

Entering the apartment, Kuwabara went off to find the map and Bekka sat on the floor at the coffee table. Kurama sat on her left when she indicated that was where she wanted him and the others arranged themselves around the table, Kuwabara on her right as he returned with the map. She spread it out on the table and looked over it. There were a lot of little streets and a lot of places to hide. She felt a little daunted by the scope of the city. She pulled the pendulum out of her pocket again and held it between her middle and ring finger of her right hand, palm down. With her left hand, she held on to Kurama's right hand and began concentrating as she swung the crystal over the map. Strangely, it began heating up, the clear crystal turning red with heat. She tried to block out the pain radiating from her fingers, but soon had to let go of the chain. The crystal skitted over the map under its own power leaving a tracing of burnt lines. Soon, it stopped, and fell onto the map with a clatter. Bekka almost bit off the fingers she'd put into her mouth to cool when she read what was written on the map.

"X marks the spot, tomorrow night, 7 pm, don't be early."

A/N I've gotten a couple of reviews to continue this, and my muse won't let me kill it so easily, either :/ Just so you know, Kurama's love of Hiei, at least for the sake of this story, is the kind of love you'd have for your best friend. I'm not writing any kind of romance with this story (although I do have a fondness for yaoi :D) No lemons or any kind of fruit...Hope I haven't disappointed anyone. I'm thinking this might be a five chapter story...would fit, wouldn't it? :D I really need to work on Angel of Mercy, but I am stuck at a brick wall and this is just flowing....so...blame the muse :D


	3. Planning and such

"Hey, Bekka," Yusuke called out to her, irritated that she didn't answer, he tried again, "Bekka....hey...Absinthe!"

Her left fist came up quickly and stopped just a fraction of a centimeter from his nose, which she then flicked. He could feel the breeze off her fist when it stopped and the flick was none too gentle, either. He fought the urge to hit her back, barely, when she spoke around her fingers, "I heard you the first time, and I told you not to call me Absinthe."

"Why does that Loki character call you Absinthe, then?" he demanded.

Removing her fingers from her mouth, she answered, "Because my mother thought it sounded pretty and gave me that name when I was born. I've never liked it. I started calling myself Bekka when I was two after a babysitter read a story about someone named Rebecca to me, but I couldn't say it correctly. Only my parents and Loki get away with calling me Absinthe, and my parents only use it when they're a little more than pissed at me. Loki does it to irritate me."

"Why is Loki out to irritate you?" Kuwabara asked.

She pulled a bitter expression, "He finds me entertaining. If I fail to entertain him, I get punished." She winced, "I've been hung, stabbed, shot, stoned, dropped off cliffs, electrocuted, poisoned....you name it...but he won't let me die...I have to suffer."

"So you can't die," Yusuke asked, "what's so bad about that?"

Bekka's eyes were vacant as she turned toward him, "No, I can't die, but how would you like to live through every single bone in your body being broken, and major trauma, feeling everything, not even able to pass out, because you didn't want to play a stupid game?" Her voice was harsh and bitter. He recoiled from her and her expression and voice softened, "I'm sorry. It's not your fault. We just have to play his stupid game and hope for the best."

"Hope?" Kurama asked.

"Yes, hope. Dum spiro, spero...while I breathe, I hope. Loki doesn't understand hope, he thinks it's utterly silly. It is the best weapon I have, but it's double edged. I can hope for the best, or I can simply hope things don't get worse....the second backfires. Never tempt the universe by hoping things don't get worse, or thinking they can't."

"What do you mean, tempt the universe?"

She smiled, "Make something foolproof and the universe will make a better fool."

Botan spoke up thoughtfully, "I've heard that before."

"How does this help us rescue Hiei?" Yusuke spoke up impatiently.

"It helps to know the mind of the enemy, dim bulb," Bekka returned.

"Who you calling dim, Ab..." he retorted, posturing for a fight

"Enough, you two!" Botan yelled before Yusuke could finish saying anything he'd regret. "Can we have a little focus here? Bekka, you know Loki. What do you think we'll have to do?"

Bekka refocused on the task at hand. "First, Botan, you're not going with us. He only will allow the four of us to go. If you come, the game is forfeit. The first task will be to rescue Hiei and then we have to beard the lion in its den."

"What does that mean?" Yusuke asked bitterly.

Bekka ignored his tone and shrugged, "I don't know exactly. It could mean literally shaving the mane off a lion or it could mean taking something valuable from someone dangerous. It's basically a task for fools and those who are desperate. We'll need to work together, though, so I am sorry for calling you a dim bulb."

He looked at her, surprised. Botan nudged him in the ribs and he spluttered, "Uh, yeah, and I'm sorry for calling you Ab.....errr...well, y'know"

She smiled ironically, "Yeah, I know"

"So, what do you think we'll need to do?" he asked, sitting again.

"Other than show up where the X is tomorrow night after seven? I'm not really sure. I guess I should explain a little better how the elemental energies work, since you aren't familiar with them." She looked around to each of them in turn. Yusuke's face was still, Botan's was excited, Kuwabara looked deep in concentration, and Kurama looked calm. She took a deep breath, "Elemental energies are the energies of the earth...of the non-living generally. Earth is a very stable energy, solid, like the earth, obviously, but it can be very dangerous when aroused, like an earthquake. Water is stable and flexible. Its surface can be riled easily, but it takes a lot to affect the depths. When the depths are aroused, you get tsunami. Wind is constantly in motion and usually harmless. When aroused, you get tornados or hurricanes. Fire is variable but always potentially dangerous. It can be deadly and out of control or it can be calm and beneficial. Void, or spirit, is the combination of all four. It is the essential energy of the soul or spirit of living things."

"How long have you been using elemental energies?" Botan asked, unable to contain her excitement.

"Oh, hmm...about 150 years now, I think. I also have a sneaking suspicion that this is the last time I'll be able to."

"Why do you say that?" Kurama asked.

"Loki said it, I'm getting too strong. He can't take my powers now, but after this game, I kinda think he will."

"What happened to hoping for the best?" Yusuke challenged.

"I am hoping for the best," she smiled at him ironically again. "There's a difference between hoping for the best and hoping for the impossible, you know."

"Alright, so now we understand a little about what the elemental energies mean, how can we use that?" Kurama broke in before the two could start bickering.

"Oh, hmmm....hang on, let me find it..." Bekka began rummaging through her pockets. Even though what she wore looked like a normal pair of jeans, t-shirt and zipped sweatshirt, she had a lot of pockets hidden around her body. She pulled out a random assortment of items, including chalk, a small pair of balanced scales, a tennis ball, a length of string, matches, charcoal, various packets of herbs, several pens, and finally a battered book. "Here it is," she smiled triumphantly at them.

"A book? We have to read a book?" Kuwabara asked, worried.

"Oh, no. This is my book of shadows. It's a collection of spells and other randomness. It's my instruction book. You don't have to read it, just what I give you out of it." She began flipping through the pages while continuing her explanation, "I ran across a spell, or a rune, a while ago that calls on all the elements. I haven't used it because the need hasn't come up, so it's possible it can surprise Loki, which will help us. Ah, here it is." She looked up, "Do you have any paper, or do you want to try to memorize this?"

The crystal began to glow again on the table. It picked itself up again and skitted across the map, leaving another set of burnt lines. This time it said, "Patrick won't help you, silly girl."

She gaped at the writing on the table, her mouth moving wordlessly. When she found her voice, "Damn him! How did he....? There's no defense against....Damn him!"

"Are you going to sit there stuttering or explain what that means?" Yusuke demanded.

She glared at him. "The spell is called Patrick's rune. It calls on the four elements in their various forms. There's not supposed to be any way to block it. Unless...."

"Unless what?" Kurama asked.

"Unless he's found someone to make him a witch's mirror."

"What's that?"

"It is supposed to be able to reflect a spell back on the witch three fold. It's only a myth, I've been told. There's not supposed to be a way to make one, at least if you want to survive the process. He would use something like that, if he could get it made."

"Why doesn't he make one himself?" Kuwabara asked.

"A witch's mirror relies on the soul of the creator to energize it. Gods don't have souls," Botan answered, causing the others to look at her. She blushed and shrugged, "I've been studying magic for a while and heard about it once. I've never seen one, though."

"I've only heard it as a myth or legend, something to scare young witches out of seeking revenge or trouble."

"Can you break it?" Kuwabara asked.

Bekka frowned at Botan and she shook her head. Botan answered, "There's no actual record of one being made, so there's no actual record of one being broken."

But just because it hasn't been done doesn't mean it can't be done, right?" Kurama insisted.

"Well," Bekka answered thoughtfully, "that's true, but I don't know enough about the mirror to figure it out." She sighed and began returning the stuff to her pockets. Briskly, she said, "Nothing more we can do tonight. See you guys tomorrow at the lion's den."

A/N Yes, one last Hiei-less chapter...he shows up in the next chapter...I'm borrowing Shakespeare's format of three leading up and two of action. I think there will be a brief epilogue at the end of the story, which you may be able to guess at by careful reading of this one :D I swear, my Shadow, Hiei shows up in the next chapter :D


	4. Rescue

The next night, Bekka was leaning on a lamp post down the street from the spot that had been marked. She saw the boys walking toward her. Kurama saw her first and pointed her out to the other two. As they approached, she called out, "You guys ready?"

"How could we be?" Yusuke snapped at her.

She narrowed her eyes at him and looked ready to snap at him when Kurama asked, "Are you ready?"

She glared at Yusuke a second longer before sighing. "As ready as I can be. Botan found some information on witch's mirrors, but not anything we didn't already know." She pulled several folded pieces of paper from her pockets and began sorting through them. "We went through my book and pulled out a few spells that might help." She began handing out a piece of paper to each of them. "These are protective spells. They should be able to deflect some of the mirror's reflection. Keep them in your pockets."

"So Botan spent the day with you?" Yusuke asked, looking suspiciously at the piece of paper she handed him.

"Yeah. She found how to spell the papers. I've never done that before. She spent some time in some kind of archive, she told me, but apparently my book has more on elemental magic than she could find there. She did bring me a couple of other spells that she thought I'd be able to use." She fanned the remaining papers and shoved them back in her pocket. She stood staring at the ground, looking vaguely ill at ease.

"Hey," Kuwabara spoke up, "don't get down on us now." He gave her a friendly cuff on the shoulder, "We ain't lost yet...and didn't you say summpin' about dumb spires speaking?"

"Dum spiro, spero...while I breathe, I hope," Kurama corrected.

"Yeah, that. You said we gotta hope for the best and all that. How can you be hopin' for the best while lookin' like a whipped pup?"

Bekka looked up at him, surprised, and smiled brightly at all three. She bounced off the pole to give Kuwabara a quick hug, causing him to blush. "Thank you." She backed up and looked at her watch. "Well," she sighed, "it's time. Let's go find a lion."

When they reached the designated location, they all saw a gate in front of a large area of blackness. Above the gate read, "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here."

"Thinks he's funny," Bekka muttered. She squared her shoulders and forced a smile, "Well, die all, die merrily," and stepped toward the gate.

Yusuke grabbed her arm, "How's that hopeful?"

Bekka turned toward him and grinned morbidly, "Because I'm hoping to die happily and that won't be happening in there. And I don't think you'll be terribly merry in there either."

Yusuke gave her an odd look and shrugged as he let her go. "Okay, fine, let's go."

The four stepped over the threshold together and were plunged into utter darkness. There was the sound of rummaging and a sharp rattle when a match glowed in the darkness. Bekka used it to light a candle.

"You always carry candles?" Yusuke asked snidely.

"I always carry lots of stuff. Never know when you'll need something." Bekka returned evenly, knowing this would irritate him.

Yusuke began to stammer out a reply when Kurama cut him off, "Will you two quit it. You can fight it out later." He turned on Bekka, "Quit baiting him."

She gave him a smile that turned sharp when she turned toward Yusuke. "He's right. We will settle this later. Now we need to get along and find your friend." She turned her attention to what could be seen with the candle light. The light didn't extend very far. There seemed to be a path leading straight ahead of them. She could not see enough to tell if they were in a building or not. "Well, looks like we go that way," she pointed along the path.

"Can you sense Hiei?" Kurama asked.

She closed her eyes and he could see her aura flicker and spread out from her. They stood quietly until she gasped and held her free hand to her forehead. Opening her eyes, she muttered "Feedback. I guess he did get a witch's mirror." Focusing on her companions, "I didn't feel him, so I'm guessing he's behind the mirror. The mirror is straight ahead of us."

"Do you have any ideas for dealing with the mirror?"

"Not yet," she admitted and started walking along the path.

How long they walked, none of them could have answered, only that suddenly there was a great deal of light and they were in a chamber after a time. As their vision cleared from the overload, they all saw the witch's mirror hanging in the center of the room, seemingly from thin air. It was indeed a mirror, with a broken pentacle on the face of it, encircled by what appeared to be iron. On the other side of the mirror, also in midair, was a very irritated looking short black-haired demon. Below him, stood Loki, looking like a characterization of the western devil, with a tail and horns. "It's about time you got here, Absinthe."

"My name is Bekka, Loki. What's the game?"

"Foolish girl, you cannot change your name. How many times have I told you that?" He chuckled, a sound that sent chills down every spine in the room. "This part of the game is simple enough, Absinthe. Just rescue Hiei from behind the mirror."

She looked suspiciously at the mirror and Loki, "What's so special about the mirror?"

He chuckled again, "Why, I thought you knew that, Absinthe. You're not doing as well as I'd thought you would with your studying, are you. Such a shame, really, girl." He shimmered and his appearance changed to that of a professor wearing academic robes. "The witch's mirror is spelled to reflect any spell used against the owner back to the spell caster three fold. It uses the soul of the maker to do this reflection. This one is specially made to reflect every thing back to you, my dear Absinthe, instead of your friends. Any attack they use against me will rebound onto you three times as strongly." He shimmered and resumed the devil costume.

Bekka paled and swallowed. "Is that all?" she managed around the lump of fear in her chest.

"For now," Loki conceded.

She continued frowning at him and the mirror, turning over what he'd said in her mind, trying to find the clue that would help her. Yusuke, becoming irritated with the delay, stepped forward, "I don't believe you, Loki. There's no way some stupid mirror hanging from the ceiling can do anything to us." He ran up and landed a punch in Loki's chest. From behind him, he heard a scream and someone falling down.

Bekka was laid out on the floor, her hand pressed to her chest and her face contorted in agony. She struggled to get up to a sitting position and Kuwabara and Kurama both went over to help her. "Holy crap," Yusuke muttered

Loki chuckled, "It does work, Yusuke, as you can see." He looked past Yusuke to Bekka, "Do you like my little toy, Absinthe?"

She was almost to her feet and just glared at him. "Yusuke, you are so getting hurt when this is over, you idiot!" Lowering her voice, she turned to Kurama, "Did you catch the hint Loki gave?" He frowned at her, unsure what she meant. "He said the mirror is spelled to protect him. Maybe we can attack the mirror itself?"

"You think it might work?" he replied, seeing her use magic just to stand up.

She shrugged painfully, "Worth a try, isn't it?"

"Are you sure you can withstand an attack, though?"

"I'll remember to shield. I wasn't prepared for Yusuke to attack."

"Don't you have a shield charm?"

"No, they work off of aura. Botan made them, not me." She shrugged away from him and Kuwabara. She noted in part of her brain that they were almost arranged at the corners of the room, which would make it easier to tap into their energy. She began to concentrate, drawing in the energy of the elements. Kurama could see her aura flare brightly and then concentrate between her hands, which were in front of her as if she were holding a ball.

"Going to blast me with an energy ball. You are stupid, Absinthe. You know it will only rebound on you."

She ignored him, turning instead to Yusuke, barely able to articulate or focus on anything other than the energy ball she was gathering in her hands. "Get ready," she croaked out at him. Putting as much as she could into the energy ball, she shoved it away from her chest and toward the mirror. Relieved of the concentration, she shouted, "Shoot the damn mirror, now!" She flung up a shield of energy as her energy ball reached the mirror. Yusuke aimed his rei shotgun at the mirror and fired. The mirror absorbed the energy ball and were about to return it when the shotgun blast hit it and caused it to shatter. Bekka fell to her knees, almost completely drained, relieved. As the mirror shattered, Hiei fell from his holding cell.

Loki roared in anger, "How dare you break my mirror, you stupid child! You will never leave this place!" With an explosion that threw the five against the nearest wall, he left the room.

A/N Told you Hiei would be in this chapter....evil grins all around One more chapter. This thing is really just writing itself. I spent more time on a shorter term project (it's hiding at my home page if you care....It's for a radiographic pathology course). I'm thinking the way this is going, I'll be finished tonight, tomorrow latest :D How's that?


	5. And So It Ends

"Kurama, what is going on?" Hiei demanded as he pushed himself off the wall.

"How much did you hear?" Kurama asked, also pushing off the wall.

"I heard what was said after you all arrived."

"That's about what's happening then. Loki forces her," he pointed at Bekka, who was still dazed against the wall, "to play his games. He decided that we were to play as well. She was supposed to contact all four of us before he got any of us, but he caught you before she started looking for us, maybe before he challenged her."

Yusuke and Kuwabara pushed off the wall, complaining about the sudden burst of energy that threw them there. They did not appear to be harmed, however. Kurama looked again at Bekka, becoming concerned that she still hadn't moved. Hiei followed his gaze, looking intently at the girl. "She doesn't have any aura. Are you sure she's alive?"

Kurama walked over to her, followed by the other three. She was still breathing, but her eyes were unfocused. "Bekka?"

"Hey, Absinthe, wake up," Yusuke put in.

Bekka's fist flew up and landed on his cheek solidly. Her eyes refocused and she glared at him, "I told you not to call me that, idiot."

Hiei grunted, Kuwabara laughed outright, and Kurama tried to smother his laughter as he asked her, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just needed to regroup a bit." She tried to get up and found that her body didn't want to cooperate with her efforts. "Okay, maybe a bit more. Sit down, we need to figure out the next part of this stupid game." She looked around the chamber. "Figures, no doors. Why make anything simple?"

"What do you mean the next part of the game?" Hiei asked, still trying to figure out exactly what was going on. Games were a stupid waste of time, in his opinion. He did not want to be part of this one, but it seemed he was stuck. At least he wasn't the only one, he thought.

"The game has two parts. Find and release you and something about bearding a lion. I'm guessing that we not only have to figure out what that means, but also find the stupid lion to beard. Oh, and then there's getting out of here in one piece."

Any further questions were cut off by a rumbling at the other end of the chamber. Bekka forced herself up and watched with the others as a creature began to take shape out of thin air. The figure solidified, and it did look like a lion, more and less. It had the head and hind legs of a lion, and wings, beak, and front legs of a large bird. Its body transitioned between the two. Behind it appeared a small door.

"What is that?" Kuwabara asked, crouching defensively.

Bekka stood behind the boys, all of whom were on the defensive. "That is a griffon. A mythological creature that is an unholy cross between a lion and an eagle. It can fly like the eagle. Its claws and talons are sharp enough to tear a person in half with the lightest touch. It is also very intelligent. I believe we just have to get past it to get to the door."

"That's it?" Kuwabara asked.

"Well, it's immune to my magic, too, but I was going to leave that part off."

"So we gotta protect you?" Yusuke asked, wincing as his cheek moved. He would be the last to admit that her punch had fazed him.

"I'm not completely defenseless, thank you very much."

He glanced over his shoulder and saw that she had a knife in her hand. It was a short blade, only about 10 centimeters long. "How is that going to help?" he asked derisively.

She grinned wickedly at him. "I can still shield. I just can't use any offensive magic against it."

"Yusuke, shut up for a while, will you?" Kurama snapped at the other boy. "Bekka, quit baiting him. I swear, you two are worse than Hiei and Kuwabara. Bekka, you know about this creature. What is the best attack method?"

Bekka managed to look repentant while keeping her eyes on the griffon. She frowned, "In the myths, they are weakest where the two bodies join, but very defensive of that part of their bodies. I think if we all attack at once, one of us should be able to get to that point. We just have to avoid hitting each other."

"Hn, you're going off of a myth?" Hiei scoffed.

She glared at him, "Got a better idea? Keep in mind that the witch's mirror was a myth, too."

He held her glare. "Fine, we attack."

She smiled sarcastically at him, "Just avoid its feet, Shorty."

"You do have a death wish, don't you?" Kurama asked as Hiei sent her a dirty look.

"I've had a death wish for most of the time I've been playing these stupid games. I just don't want to suffer Loki's non-deaths and that's why I play." She dropped into a defensive stance, ready to charge the griffon. "Ready?" She looked around at each of them. Kuwabara had a glowing sword in his hands, an aura sword, she noted. Hiei had pulled out a katana that glinted sharply at the blade. Kurama had a whip in his hand. Yusuke's hands glowed with his aura. She flicked up a barrier around herself, hoping that the others wouldn't need it because she didn't have enough energy to shield all of them. "Then, let's go."

The five of them rushed the griffon, coming from different angles. The creature was so over whelmed it didn't know which way to turn, trying to catch all of them at once. It reared up on its hind legs, trying to use its claws against those coming against him. Kurama and Bekka kept its head busy and Yusuke and Kuwabara took on the claws. Hiei sidestepped them and plunged his sword into the creature's side. A reverberating howl tore out of the griffon's mouth, throbbing through the five as the creature died.

"Hn, that wasn't so hard." Hiei pulled his sword from the creature and headed toward the door. The other four, surprised at how quickly the fight was over, followed quickly. As they crossed the threshold, they were again plunged in darkness. Bekka fumbled through her pockets for her matches and candle again. As she got it lit, they looked around and saw not a straight path, but several pathways.

"Oh, joy, a maze," Bekka pointed out sarcastically.

"I can lead us out," Kuwabara said.

"Well, that helps. Here, take the candle," Bekka told him, holding out the object.

They walked silently for a long time, taking so many turns that Bekka's sense of direction was completely confused. After countless turns, they found themselves outside the gate they had entered earlier that night. Surprised, Bekka looked around. "That's it?"

"Yeah, I didn't expect you to get past the mirror." Loki was standing behind them, now in a yard of a school, looking like a human.

Bekka gaped at him, unsure what to think or do. "So, the game is over?"

"This game is. This means..." his voice trailed off and he held up his hand. Light came from Bekka's chest, gathered itself into a ball in his palm. She looked woozily at him as he closed his fist around the ball of light and extinguished it. "This means, my dear Absinthe, that you are no longer a witch. I'll give you a little time to get used to the idea." He vanished from sight.

Kurama looked at her and saw a normal human aura and that her face looked like she was going to be sick. "You alright?" he asked gently.

"I feel so weird, like everything's shifted around me." She rubbed her forehead. "I can't feel anything outside my head. Is this what it's like to be normal? It's been so long..." her voice trailed off uncertainly as she looked at him with slightly unfocused eyes. She took a step and her knees collapsed out from under her. She landed heavily on the ground and sat there weaving as if she were drunk.

Kuwabara picked her up, "Let's get her back to my place. Maybe she'll feel better in the morning," although he didn't sound too certain.

She managed to mutter on her way to unconsciousness, "Dum spiro, spero."

A/N Short epilogue to follow tomorrow morning. I've got homework to do tonight. This should make the Shadow happy, no?


	6. Epilogue

Three days later, Bekka was waiting outside Kuwabara's building, hoping to see Kurama. She had slept out the night and most of the day after the game in his sister's room before feeling well enough to return to her own place. She didn't know how long she'd have to "adjust" so she wanted to take care of what she felt her obligations were as quickly as she could. She'd already seen Yusuke to pay him back for the punch to the chest she'd received. She chuckled at the memory of him blanching from her quick hit to stop his heart. She counted to three before hitting him to restart it. He spluttered a bit, but didn't follow when she walked off, calling them even. She could see the red headed demon coming up along with the black haired one. "Hey!" she called out to them.

Kurama looked up and smiled at her, "Hey, Bekka, how you feeling?"

She shrugged and winced in pain, "Everything still looks and feels weird, but I'll get used to it eventually, I guess." She pulled out her book of shadows and handed it to him, "I wanted you to get this to Botan eventually for me please."

"Why?"

"Well, I won't need it any more and I know you wanted to know what was in it. It's a combination of a reference and diary, so it's a bit unorganized, but I think you'll be able to use it for something." She smiled at him.

"Hn," Hiei put in, glaring at the girl.

She blushed deeply, looking at her feet, "I really truly am deeply sorry for calling you 'Shorty.'"

From behind her, a voice called out, "Watch out for that right of hers, it's nasty."

Turning, she saw Yusuke and Kuwabara walking out of the building, Yusuke rubbing his chest. "Hey, you deserved that! I still hurt from that stupid punch you had to go and land," she glared at him.

Kurama, stifling a laugh, asked, "What'd you do to him?"

She grinned wickedly back at him, "Just a little death touch, that's all...oh, and I undid it, too." Turning from them all and waving over her shoulder, she called out, "Bye all!" and vanished into the crowd.

A/N Well, that ends this story...whew! Three days from beginning to end. Well, it did help with the block on Angel....I got more written yesterday on it than I had in the couple of days before. I'd like to thank the Shadow for her very enthusiastic support of this little story :D mutters although I must wonder about he sanity coughs and returns to author's note If you liked Bekka, she's also in my story The Traveler, even though that could do with a rewrite (and the part of Loki is played by Q from ST:TNG). Ta for now, my readers :D


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